I'll Keep You Safe
by Shit.Apples
Summary: [Makoto x Reader x Sousuke, but it's not a threesome. I don't write those.] Makoto is one of the top agents working for the government, and has also been your boyfriend for a year. In all of his missions, he's always come back safe, but it's never occurred to you both that you might be in danger as well...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 _Brrring._

 _Brrring._

 _Brrring._

 _..._

" _Hello! This is Tachibana Makoto speaking."_

You sat up a little straighter. "Makoto!"

" _... Unfortunately I can't pick up the phone right now, so please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!"_

 _Beep._

You hung up and glared at your phone, as if it was the source of all your troubles. Deciding that a missed call from you was enough to worry him, you didn't bother with a message and hung up, flopping onto the bed.

Makoto had a busy job. He wasn't always home, though when he was you both made the best out of it. You two have been dating for a year now, and today's the anniversary of your first date. You'd hoped that Makoto would be home as he had promised, but it seems like he wouldn't be.

And you had had something special planned as well. You had specifically picked out a black pencil dress that brought out your curves, and you absolutely hated wearing dresses, especially tight and short ones. You had specifically spent money on getting nice things, because nice things were what your dear Makoto deserved to have. He usually rejects every present you offer him because he didn't want you to waste your time and money, but since today was special you decided to ignore him on that. You had also decided to rent a room in the hotel you both first met, for old time's sake.

Makoto had promised he would be back by noon. You glanced out the windows, the sun slowly disappearing behind the skyline. You knew Makoto had a lot to do, and you didn't blame him for not being here, but sometimes… sometimes you were selfish, and wanted him all to yourself. Screw work and fuck the government. You wanted Makoto with you, was that too much to ask?

Of course, being sad and angry at Makoto and the government wasn't the main problem here. Your boyfriend's job was not only busy, it was also dangerous. One false move from him could very well end up fatal, and you did your best to not assume the worst. Makoto's been late before, he could just be caught up in traffic, or maybe stopped to pick up something, or maybe he forgot…?

As if all your wishful thinking had summoned him, your phone rang. You immediately pounced on it, and nearly sobbed with relief when you saw the caller ID. Makoto.

"You had me so worried! Are you hurt? What happened?" You practically screamed into the receiver. "You know I wouldn't be able to get over it if you _died_!"

Hearing his familiar chuckle nearly made you melt. "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't say goodbye before I left. Don't worry, (Name), I'm fine. In fact, I'm outside the room."

You were at the door in record time, flinging it open with a huge smile plastered on your face. You must look ridiculous, but you didn't care because the love of your life was at the door, and with a surprise too.

"I went by a florist and found this," Makoto smiled as he offered the roses. It wasn't a big bunch.

"These are beautiful, thank you!" You had to stand on tiptoe to place a teasing peck on your boyfriend's cheek. Sure, you were wearing heels, but you didn't want to risk falling or twisting your ankle so it didn't have much height to it.

You went back inside, with Makoto following. You grabbed the vase of flowers provided by the hotel and switched out the lilies for Makoto's roses.

"Ahh, this sure brings back memories," you heard Makoto say as he went around the room, finally stopping at the window, where the city glowed with life. You followed him and wrapped your arms around his waist from behind, resting your head on his back, breathing in his very presence.

A comfortable silence settled over the both of you, while you both enjoyed each other's presence. It was Makoto who finally spoke. "I got three days off."

" _Three days?"_ You repeated, shocked. You unwrapped your arms from Makoto and took a few dramatic steps back. "Three days without the great Makoto? The country will fall!" You gasped and mimicked a heart attack.

Makoto laughed. "No it won't. And my boss suggested it, so what else can I do except spend it with my girlfriend?" He turned to sit on the window ledge, and opened his arms as a gesture for you to come closer.

Glancing up, you inspected Makoto carefully. He was wearing a simple suit with his trademark green tie, which you found adorable. Something seemed off, though…

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked, detecting your slight change of attitude. He lowered his arms, frowning.

You crossed your arms, carefully looking over your boyfriend. "I've known you for a year, you think you can keep secrets from me?" You finally figured it out, breaking into a smile again. "C'mon, what're you hiding?" You stepped closer and started sticking your hands in his pockets.

"Jeez, you know me too well," Makoto sighed with relief and opened his arms again, though this time it was to let you do your searching. "But you won't find any secret on me." You glanced back at his face to find that familiar smile and a faint trace of a teasing smirk.

You gave up. "Well, I do have three days to find it." You settled for sitting on Makoto's lap, facing him, wrapping your legs around his waist. (It was a pretty big window ledge.)

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" You sighed and rested your head against the crook of his neck, your hands placing themselves on his chest, feeling the pounding of his heartbeat and the rise and fall of his breathing.

"Three weeks," Makoto confirmed. "We haven't talked for three weeks."

"I meant the other thing." You glanced up and smirked. Makoto blanked out for a second, before realizing what you meant and immediately became flustered.

You had to admit, the pencil dress was not only for looks. While standing, it only covered half of your thighs. Imagine how short it'd be while you were sitting on a certain someone's lap.

"Don't worry, I'm not suggesting it right now." You laughed.

Makoto sighed, smiling. "You're such a tease, (Name)."

"You know you love it," you said in a soft voice and pulled Makoto in for a long overdue kiss.

 **Hello! This is my first Free! fanfiction and also my first fanfiction on this site! Hope you all enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Having three days to yourselves was more than you'd bargained for, but you weren't complaining. Makoto had made it clear that it was three days starting the next day, so you had a few hours plus three days of being with your boyfriend.

So far, you were still in the room, but had pulled up chairs so both of you were facing the window and can look outside at the night city. It was nice to talk about things, and the room service wasn't that bad. "Will you ever quit your job?" You sighed, asking the question for about the millionth time.

"You know I won't," Makoto smiled, answering the question for the thousandth time. "The pay's good, and I'm not _actually_ subject to danger."

"Going undercover does not mean you're immune to danger," you sighed and scooted closer to Makoto. Seeing he's about to reply, you immediately added, "Not even if you're _only_ an investigator. Those are the most valuable people, y'know."

That shut up him.

"You aren't just valuable to them," you continued, in the mood for giving a good lecture. "I think you sometimes forget you're valuable to me, too." You turned and pouted. Seeing the guilt starting to show on his face, you decided to shut up and smile instead. "So…"

"Don't die?" Makoto suggested helpfully.

You nodded. "Yeah. Don't do that, I'll be very sad." You both laughed, then got back to talking about more casual stuff. Neither of you liked talking about work, especially if it was during a time for relaxation.

"Where do you want to go for the next few days?" You asked Makoto, scooting even closer to him so that you could lean on his shoulder.

He thought for a bit. "I was hoping we could go somewhere like the park tomorrow, or somewhere near that?"

You laughed. "Going for the romantic route, are we? Sure, we can do that. But we still have two days left."

"I'm thinking of somewhere like the city for the second day."

"The _city_?" You narrowed your eyes and leaned back so you could stare right into Makoto's. "You do realize the risks of that, right? You're probably going to have to wear a hat and sunglasses. Then you'll probably get a stroke, and die, and fail the country. So no, I don't think we can go into the city."

"Come on," Makoto said, with a hint of pleadingness in his voice. "We haven't been in the city together for ages. Who knows when we can go there again, especially with all these strange assignments coming up?"

You took a deep breath. It was true that you haven't been in the city - the large ones - for a while, because of Makoto's lack of time and lack of security in large, crowded areas. Personally, you didn't mind, as the large cities weren't much of an attraction anyway, except for maybe good food and a handful of shops that suited your fashion tastes. And with more and more urgent missions coming up, you tried to protect Makoto as much as possible, sometimes going as far as to keep him in his own house while you brought supplies to him.

"What's all this fuss about the missions, anyway?" You asked, changing the subject. You'll have to spend some time to think on the whole _let's go to the city and possibly get shot!_ Thing. "Did the government finally bite off more than they can chew?"

Makoto laughed, and the topic was successfully changed. "Something like that. An organization popped up recently, and it's been getting pretty powerful. The bosses are scared they're going to overthrow the current government and start a new one, so they want all the information they can get."

You raised an eyebrow. "And you're perfectly fine with me knowing all of that? Shouldn't it be, like, classified information, need-to-know basis only?"

He shrugged. "It's pretty common knowledge among people like me, and I think you should know too because you're one of my people," he smiled and booped you on the nose. You didn't like it as much when he did that so you grabbed his arm before he could pull it back to his side and yanked (hard) so he lost his balance and fell on you.

"Thanks for confiding in me, but don't touch my nose," you breathed, his breath tickling your face. You cut off his reply by closing the gap between the both of you, your lips soft and inviting, his mouth slightly parted. Perfect opportunity.

You took whatever advantage you could, pushing Makoto back into a sitting position and adjusting yourself so you were on his lap again. Wrapping your arms around his neck you started to slowly grind against him, earning a moan from the man. You pulled back, so that both of you could get some air, and said, "Maybe I should arrange the activities for the third day."

When you used that husky, slightly-out-of-breath voice, Makoto could never say no.

"Have I told you you look beautiful tonight?" He said, his eyes running over your outfit. "Did you pick it out specifically for today?"

You beamed. "Yeah! Glad you noticed. You don't look too bad yourself." With a swift tug of your hand, you loosened his tie and undid the first few buttons of his shirt, just for a teasing glimpse. The real fun would be for what you're already planning for the third day.

"Ahh, thanks," Makoto sighed and stroked your hair. "It was getting a bit hot in here." He glanced at you with that smile of his that just made your insides melt.

"Seems like you're not the only one who's getting hot," you squirmed a bit so you had a better position to sit. The lump forming underneath you wasn't really helping, and you did want to save the real fun for later. "Not now, Makoto," you laughed and wiggled your hips.

"Don't do that if I can't have it," Makoto scolded you with a pinch of your cheeks. You grinned evilly and was prepared for another kiss when someone knocked on the door.

"Room service! Someone ordered food?"

Makoto glanced at you, and you shrugged. "I ordered it sometime before you arrived. Seems like my timing was perfect," you winked and hopped back to the floor to answer the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

That night, you two didn't do anything special apart from the occasional teasing and kissing, and some misplaced hands on your part. The food had been quickly devoured and the showers were quick.

"You should rest more," you said after Makoto came out of the shower. You two had showered separately, mostly because the shower space wasn't big enough for two at a time.

"What makes you say that?" Makoto didn't have a shirt on and for a moment you were so entranced with his body you forgot what you were saying and where you were.

"Uhh… (Name)?"

You snapped back to reality, leaving your daydreams for another day. "The bags under your eyes are huge, for one. Also, every time I text you at night you reply within five minutes."

"It was early at night."

"It was three in the morning!" You immediately shot back. "Sure, that's early. Early in the morning. _Too_ early. Every time!" You were starting to get tired too, and forming complete sentences was starting to be too much work.

Makoto smiled and scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. "I was busy…"

You pouted and flopped onto the bed, patting the space beside you, motioning for him to lie down with you. "You're not busy right now, so come take a rest." However, he just sat down at the edge of the bed and peered at you so your vision was filled with his face and some ceiling.

 _Sometimes you do need persuading,_ you sighed and wrapped your hands around his neck, pulling him down next to you. "I said, _rest_ ," you whispered threateningly. Makoto gave you an easy smile to show he wasn't fazed at all and wrapped his arms around you, so you two were cuddling up. A comfortable silence followed, you feeling like everything is going to be perfectly fine and knowing that Makoto wouldn't accidentally die.

"Penny for your thoughts," Makoto whispered, placing his chin on your head, and you resting your head against crook of his neck.

"Don't die," you whispered back, with a slight smile. "Now you owe me a penny." It sounded childish but both of you were fine with this arrangement. Who said growing old means growing up, even if you do work for the government?

Makoto sighed, and you felt his breath on your hair. "You're always thinking that, so I don't owe you anything."

"Maybe you owe me a night out," you immediately teased. "Or two." Now that you had spoken this thought, all you could think about was going to the city with Makoto, and just walking like a normal couple without having to undergo numerous security checks and having approximately half a dozen people keep an eye on both of you. Makoto himself hadn't told you this, but you had guessed from all of the above and more, that he was a highly valued investigator and you guessed that without him, a lot of missions would fail.

"Sure, but we have to check in with my boss first…" Makoto trailed off when he noticed your glare. "What?" He asked in a small voice, slowly inching back.

"Can't we just have _one night_ where we don't have your subordinates breathing down our necks?" you pleaded. "Just one night!"

Makoto frowned. "We'll see." Oh you hated it when he said that. It either meant he would say no, or would "consider" it _forever_ and keep his mouth shut until you forget about it.

"Okay then forget about it for now, what do we do tomorrow?" you changed the topic and then set your mind to thinking on how to change his mind. You had two days, tops, to think of a good plan to change his mind.

Makoto pulled you closer and you felt his heartbeat against your palm. "It's a surprise."

"I hate it when you do that."

"But you always like the surprises." He kissed you gently on the head and you tilted your head upwards, so that your lips were touching.

You grinned slyly. "I like surprises like this even more."

"I can't disagree with that," Makoto sighed and leaned down so you two could be more intimate. It was then a plan started hatching in your mind. Now you'd have one day, tops, to convince Makoto to get you into the city. _Alone._ You had something planned for the third day.

It was a while before you realized Makoto had gone still and silent. You glanced in his direction to find him staring at you, with a frown playing on his lips. "What?"

"You're thinking about something," Makoto flicked your forehead gently. "I know when you're trying to come up with something."

"You know me too well," you smiled. "It'll be another surprise."

"So many surprises," Makoto sighed, tilting his head to look at the ceiling. "I don't think my heart can take it anymore."

You took the chance to place a hand on his chest, taking your time feeling around until you found a place where you could feel his heartbeat. "Your heart is probably used to all of this," you teased.

"You need to be less of an opportunist," Makoto laughed and pulled you even closer, so that you had to drop your hands if you didn't want your elbow to be strained. You managed to get an arm around his body so both of you were kind of holding each other.

"Just go to sleep already," you sighed with a smile. You felt Makoto shift and then the lights went off, and as the darkness surrounded you, so did silence. It was always a welcoming feeling, especially when Makoto was beside you. Both of you slid off into an easy sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

As usual, you were the one who woke first. Normally you'd be delighted to order food before Makoto wakes up, but that was only possible when you weren't hindered by something or someone.

"For fuck's sake, Makoto," you muttered as you tried to disentangle Makoto's limbs from yours. It would seem like one or both of you had somewhat moved during the night, and you couldn't feel one of your arms.

There's only been one time that you've experienced this arm-less-ness and it was when you were a teen. Out of curiosity you had just continuously flopped your arm over and over again against the wall. You had felt nothing and had genuinely wanted to experience it again.

"But not like this!" You mumbled as you finally located your arm pinned beneath your sleeping boyfriend. You quickly grabbed hold and yanked it out from under him. Makoto shifted slightly but didn't wake up. All that detective work must be catching up on him.

You slipped out of bed and sighed. Your left arm was useless. Not that it'd cause too much trouble, but you rather liked having blood in both of your arms when you wanted to order breakfast for Makoto.

And so, after making the call, you flopped around the hotel room, enjoying yourself in the rare moments that you couldn't wake Makoto up. When you started to feel something in your arm again the doorbell rang. Just in time. Room service brought up a few toasts, orange juice, omelettes, pancakes, waffles and coffee, as well as some butter, jam and syrup.

"What did you _order?_ " You heard Makoto exclaim from somewhere behind you.

"Nothing like the smell of food to wake you up," you commented as you wheeled the cart - yes they left you the cart - into the middle of the room. Referring to Makoto's question, you said, "I told them to give me a little bit of everything."

You looked up from arranging the food to see Makoto staring at you with a smile on his face. You rolled your eyes and went back to the task at hand. "It's not like this is the first time I'm doing this." You came up with a plate of a bit of everything and turned around to offer it to him.

"Yeah, I know," Makoto laughed and took the plate from you with a nod of thanks. You got your own plate and went to sit next to him, on the bed.

"I guess this can count as breakfast in bed, right?" You asked as you two ate. "Mmhm, I forgot how good the waffles here can be."

Makoto smiled at you before getting up to get seconds.

After you two ate your fill and had put away all the plates, you turned to Makoto. "So…"

"So…?" he said. You knew he knew what you were trying to ask, and you detected that slight shift of tone he used when he was trying to hide something. You glared at him until he gave in.

With a sheepish smile, he said, "Uh, I was going to take you to the theme park at the edge of town." He produced two tickets from… somewhere and waved it in your face.

His choice of words didn't float past you, though. "What do you mean, _was_?"

Makoto's smile grew even more sheepish, if that was possible. "Some friends are tagging along." With a flick of his wrist, the two tickets became six.

You knew what _friends_ he was talking about. You pouted. "Your guys trailing us again? We can't ever do anything fun with them around." Some of the bodyguards were alright, but the majority of them were such joy-killers that you couldn't even get them to at least stay behind the both of you and pretend they're not stalking.

"Do you still want to go?" Makoto's smile dimmed somewhat. "I know it won't probably be as fun… but well if you still want to go…"

You were about to reply to that when you realized why he sounded so downcast. Last time you guys had bodyguards trailing you, they wouldn't even let you run too fast, lest you trip over your own feet. That had been particularly frustrating and in your irritation, you had commented that you weren't ever going out if there were bodyguards around again. Makoto was probably remembering that incident.

After you remembered, you realized how you could take advantage of this. "I'll still go," you said, slowly breaking into a sly grin. "But under one condition." You could see Makoto brighten up cautiously.

"I have something planned for tomorrow and you can't say no."

"That's a bit risky…" Makoto clearly could tell what you had in mind. "We could cancel the theme park trip, you know..."

This was not how you wanted it to go. "You won't regret it, and I'll make it up on the day after tomorrow," you smiled sweetly. "We'll be safe; after all, I thought it was your boss who picked out where we could and could not go."

Makoto turned slightly pink. "You knew about that?"

"I have my sources." You said smugly. "And since a certain someone also ordered a background check on every regular and staff member in a two-kilometer radius around the hotel." You paused to gauge Makoto's reaction, which was pretty satisfactory. "Of course, my sources may be wrong but I assume they're correct?" You finished it off with an innocent smile.

Your boyfriend was shocked into silence for a few moments. "Do I have to tell my boss to up their security?" He finally said weakly.

You laughed. "It's not the security. That's fine." You leaned in closer, all traces of humor gone from your features. "It's the men. Replace those who aren't in the inner circle of things. They're the ones causing trouble." You leaned back against the wall, a smile on your face again.

"Uhh… Okay," Makoto said uneasily, shifting a bit. Your display of your magnificent control of emotions often did that to him, not that you switched channels all the time. That would be exhausting.

"So we good on the deal?" You said, bringing him back to your original topic, hoping to take his mind of the things you'd just told him. Maybe you should've left it for later. But well, you didn't want to pass up that great opportunity… Besides, you might've forgotten to tell him if you left it for later.

Although Makoto's face still had hints of worry, he still gave you a smile. "I don't know if I'll like this plan of yours, but I do hold faith in your arrangements for the third day." He stared right at you, as if he meant his words as a challenge. Which you accepted, of course.

"Great!" You laughed. "Let's get changed and… When will your guys be able to go?"

"Any time we choose," Makoto said. Of course. Bodyguards who do nothing but trail you two and appear the moment you two step out of the hotel, and disappear the moment you two are safely tucked away in the folds of the hotel.

You're just going to have to put up with it until the day is over. It's only for today, anyway. The next two days you'll have Makoto all to yourself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _ **Small note: I reread the first few chapters and I realize it might be confusing because Makoto wants a night out in the city and you don't want it, but then you want a night out and Makoto doesn't want it. I'll clear things up a bit: Makoto means a night out with bodyguards; you want a night out without the bodyguards. Makoto's plan is simpler but with less privacy… Sorry for any confusion (I was pretty confused myself and completely flipped out.)**_

You had to admit, the theme park was really something. You hadn't been there before, and quite a while back you _had_ mentioned something about going on a trip there to Makoto.

Of course, the whole experience would've been even better without the black shadows trailing you guys. But overall, it really was fine. The best thing was when Makoto would tell you about his childhood and all the silly things his friends did.

"You should really go visit them," you told Makoto when the day was over, and you were walking back to the hotel. You thought of it as walking anyway - it was more like escorting, with the bodyguards fully enclosing you both from all sides. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sometimes things like me can wait."

Makoto just smiled. "They're busy with their own things too. I know Haru's going to be expanding his restaurant business into what he hopes would be international, so he won't have much spare time. Rei's too far away for me to reach, honestly, and… Last I heard I think Nagisa got a job as a counselor."

That was only three names. You knew Makoto had to have more friends than that. "What about… what's his name? The one with the creepy-scary teeth? Aren't you friends?"

Makoto was silent. You decided not to press it so you just enjoyed the rest of the walk. Did you hit a sore spot? This was strange. Usually Makoto wouldn't just shut up right away. You glanced suspiciously at the bodyguards who were beginning to disperse, now that you both were "safe" in the hotel. Maybe he wanted to say something they weren't allowed to hear.

When you took a peek at Makoto's face, you became slightly worried. Makoto seemed to be upset about something. You latched onto his arm to show you were there for support and he acknowledged you with a soft mumble.

 _Maybe he's tired._ You rushed towards your room door after the elevator doors opened and quickly unlocked it, shoving Makoto inside and slamming the door shut. Your methods of "care" might not seem to be soft and gentle, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Turning on the lights you gently pushed Makoto onto the bed and flopped down beside him. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Makoto frowned more. "It's just… Now that I really think of it, I can't remember what Rin is doing. He said he was working on some kind of project, and a while back he said he would be traveling… but it's all extremely vague."

You tried not to heave a sigh of relief. "I think there's no reason to worry. Maybe Rin's a stripper and doesn't want anyone else to know." It was your lame attempt at cheering Makoto up, but sometimes lame attempts work great.

You could tell it didn't work this time because the smile Makoto had was forced and you knew it wasn't genuine. "Maybe. I just have a bad feeling about it…"

"Here's some advice for you," you glanced over at Makoto so you were staring right at him. "Take a nice, long, hot shower. Think about it all you want. Think about it in the shower. When you're finished showering, it should also mean you've finished thinking about the matter. You can think about it again in the next shower. But relax anytime you're not in the shower, okay? It's gonna be bad for you if you stress yourself too much."

Makoto stared at you blankly for a second before bursting out laughing. You raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" you demanded. "I was trying to give genuine advice there!" This wasn't even an attempt at cheering him up. _Note to self: advice works just as well._

"Nevermind," Makoto got up, still chuckling to himself before disappearing into the shower. Maybe he was going to take your advice after all.

While he was in the shower, you set out to ensure that your plans for tomorrow wouldn't go up in smoke… And by that you mean no one tried to assassinate or make a move on your man. In your eyes, his safety was the most important. Sure, you could let the bodyguards back in on the plan, but just one night… Makoto knew some self-defense, surely, though you couldn't do much yourself if it came to something more than a three-on-one, which was more than possible. Besides, he had wanted a night out in the city as well, right? … Probably in a more protected environment, though. Well, risks were what made life fun!

Choosing the safest route with the most witnesses and looking up all the security cameras in the region - if Makoto knew what you were doing maybe he'd think you were working against the government.

Of course, you had your sources. Also, pulling in favors from your friends didn't hurt.

Gathering more and more information, your confidence gradually climbed higher and higher. No harm would come to you two tomorrow, and by the time you were finished with your preparations you were almost 90% sure.

You didn't notice that the moon was already halfway to its highest peak. Quickly shutting down your laptop, you look up to find that Makoto still hasn't come out of the shower, though the water had already stopped running.

 _Had something happened?_ Maybe he slipped and hit his head, but wouldn't that have made a rather loud noise? You rushed to the door and knocked. "Makoto? Are you alright?"

There wasn't an answer, so you tried to slide the door open. Thankfully it wasn't locked, and you stepped in. You were blind because of the water vapor for a few moments, but as soon as it cleared you found Makoto on the floor. Fully clothed, thank God, because if he wasn't then it'd just be another complication.

He was leaning against the tub, and you could see he had something in his hand. He also seemed to be deep in thought. So deep, in fact, that he hadn't even turned his head at your sudden entrance.

 _Meditating, perhaps?_ You thought to yourself. Makoto seemed awake, so you leaned down and waved a hand in front of his eyes. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, you managed to get him to blink.

"Ah, sorry," he apologized and got up. "I must've dozed off or something." He checked the thing clenched in his fists - a cellphone.

"What're you doing?" you asked, curious. If Makoto couldn't tell you, then fine. You'd steal his phone.

Turns out he could tell you, though. "Nothing much, just trying to reach Rin." He laughed and led you out of the bathroom. "He won't pick up, though."

"Maybe he's out of the country and it's nighttime, wherever he is," you mused. "Anyway, I've got tomorrow all planned out. I'll take a shower now, don't think too much or your brain will explode."

Makoto smiled and shooed you off to do your own things. Before you stepped into the bathroom, you threw one last glance at his direction. He seemed to be absorbed in his thoughts. _His brain is totally going to explode._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _ **First of all sorry for the late update. I'm currently studying overseas so it's been quite a hectic week, with all the plane trips and unpacking and settling down. Also! The wifi is very unstable. Hopefully I'll be back on my updating schedule once I get a new data plan for my phone, so I can share my data with my computer.**_

 _ **Thanks for waiting! Here's a rather longer chapter.**_

The night went past without any more incidents. It seemed like Makoto had stopped trying to contact Rin and just went to bed after you chased him out of the bathroom, which was a good thing. After showering you settled down next to him and made sure to make him comfortable before you drifted off.

The next morning was when the real fun began. Of course, you weren't a big dickhead so you didn't shove Makoto out of bed at the crack of dawn. You were a nice person, and nice people let their boyfriends sleep until well past noon. He woke up on his own after that, and after a nice lunch-in-bed you dragged Makoto out onto the streets.

Even though he was persistently asking you about the destination of your little adventure, you refused to tell him where you guys were going. "Life is full of surprises," you said after Makoto had asked for the billionth time. "Just wait and see…! I promise it's within the zone your boss deemed 'safe.'" That last bit shut him up, but probably because he was trying to remember all the places the boss had picked out for them.

While he was busy thinking of that, you were busy looking for hidden spies or anything. You weren't looking very hard, because if you did then you were bound to find some here and there and that would ruin the whole thing, but you couldn't stop looking because you were worried. You'd already memorized the paths you were going to take and in no time you had reached your destination – a little quaint café.

"I never knew this café was on the list," Makoto looked around suspiciously, then glanced back at you. After all, this part of town wasn't really what you'd call the _safest._ "Are you sure…?"

You gave him a thousand-watt smile and nodded firmly. "I told you, it's within the safe zone. Now c'mon! Get in! The food's great~" You shoved Makoto into the small shop and sat him down next to the window.

This café was not on the safety list. It was within the safe zone, but technically not on the list, and you were quite disappointed when you knew that. You'd bought this café a year back and kept it a secret, polishing it and hoping it would make it to the list so you'd be able to bring Makoto here and have a little private time, but that didn't happen. Not that you weren't going to make the private time a thing, it's just that the whole "safe zone" thing set you back a bit.

Making a gesture for Makoto to stay in his seat, you sauntered over to the counter, greeted the cashier and started to order some food. "Maybe a small portion of everything," you said. It wasn't a large menu and you wanted Makoto to try everything. "And two of your best drinks." This wasn't a dictatorship, so you didn't hover over everything the chefs made. You let them come up with the menu on their own, and the baristas invent their own drinks. It was quite refreshing, though sometimes they used you as a guinea pig. You did pick up some recipes from them, though, quite often.

Once the drinks were ready you took them back to where Makoto was. To your delight he was checking things out and seemed to like what he saw. "Do you like it?" You said as you placed down the drinks.

"It's very cozy," Makoto smiled and took one of the glasses. "What's this?"

You shrugged. "The baristas make whatever they like and experiment on unsuspecting customers," you wiggled your eyebrows suggestively and sat back down. "I think this is includes cream, though." Taking a straw and sticking it in your drink you took a big sip. Not bad, but could use some more spicing up if this wanted to become popular.

Watching Makoto as he drank his, you said, "How do you like it? We can leave comments for the baristas, I think they're new." Makoto was silent for a few moments, and you became worried. Was he thinking of how to express that the drink was awful? Probably not. Were you overthinking everything in the situation? Probably.

"Makoto? Are you okay?" Did he forget to tell you what things he was allergic to? Maybe that was the case? Maybe he was dying. Oh no.

"I'm just trying to figure out what's in this," Makoto finally said, his eyebrows slightly furrowed together.

"Oh… So you don't like it?" You masked your disappointment with an air of cheer and a wave of your hand. "I can tell that to the baristas."

Surprisingly, Makoto flushed red. "Uh… No, I just wanted to see if… I could make this at home for you, since you seem to like it and seriously, it isn't bad at all!" He must've seen the relief show on your face because he hurriedly went on to elaborate. "This is seriously the best thing I've had! The baristas must be working magic on the drinks. I'm glad you showed me this place."

"If you like the drink, you'll love the food," you leaned forward to rest your head on your palms. "The chefs here are amazing."

"I'm looking forward to it."

 **~Timeskip~**

Makoto loved everything about the café, to your relief and satisfaction. Time flew past and to your surprise you guys have been in the café for over three hours. It wasn't too big of a problem, and you both didn't mind one bit. In fact, you would say this was the perfect date. Usually at around the one-hour mark, the bodyguards would herd you out of the place because _staying in one place wasn't safe,_ or some other bullshit like that. Really, they were just bored and wanted to move around.

"You wanna go?" You said when your legs started to fall asleep.

Makoto looked up. "Go where?"

You smiled. "Wander around the city, reveling in the freedom?"

"That _does_ sound good." It seemed like he was warming up to the whole no-bodyguards thing. Maybe you could do this more often.

Standing up and going over to the cashier, you produced a wad of cash from your wallet. As you were about to hand it to her, Makoto spoke up from behind you. "I'll pay."

Spinning around quickly, you clutched your money to your chest. "Don't use your ninja skills to sneak up on me!" You wailed, playfully punching him in the shoulder. "And no. I'll pay. You don't get any say in this." You shoved the money at the cashier, who seemed at a loss at what to do.

With a stern glare in her direction, the cashier accepted the cash in your outstretched hand rather than Makoto's. As he sighed in defeat and turned away, you leaned in to whisper to the cashier, "Split that up between the on-duty staff. You guys earned it." You hurriedly went off to follow Makoto, feeling the cashier staring at your back. It wasn't often you gave your employees a tip, so this was a real treat for them.

"Hey, dollface!" You heard someone call as you exited the café, looking for Makoto. Assuming it was a random pervert calling out one of the numerous ladies passing by, you ignored the absurdly loud man and headed to where Makoto was standing, waiting for you.

When you've stood by Makoto and latched onto his arm affectionately, a man dressed in black leather stepped up to you two. He looked dangerous, and it didn't take long for you to find out this was the man who'd yelled out earlier. Apparently he was looking for you.

"Any problem, mister?" You smiled politely. You'd seen him around your café before, and you didn't like it. He always harassed the staff, and from what you'd gathered he was part of the organization that always dealt business in this part of town. That organization also made trades through the café, so you didn't want to get on its bad side, but this chump here seemed to think that he could do whatever he liked just because they controlled approximately 30% of the café's income.

Judging from how large his ego was inflated, you guessed he didn't know who you or Makoto were, so you decided to keep quiet about either of those things. Makoto had tensed up beside you, so you patted his arm reassuringly.

"How about you take that stupid excuse for a cashier and put her on the menu?" The guy clasped his hands behind his back. "That'd up the number of customers for _sure_."

You glanced up at Makoto, who seemed confused. "Makoto, can you go to the flower shop over at the next street?" You said, mustering all the sweetness you had. "I want to see if there are any nightshades, but I'll need to deal with this nuisance first."

Makoto was about to protect when you squeezed his arm and put on your best puppy face. You hated doing that stupid pitiful face, but as long as it got Makoto out of hearing distance that would be fine. With a sigh and a glare at the man's direction, he trudged off into the distance.

"That was quite a show you put on there, dollface," the man commented as he watched Makoto leave. "Maybe you'd like to do that back in my room, hmm? How 'bout that?"

You leaned against a nearby wall, dropping your facade. "How about you take that big fat ego of yours and shove it up your ass?" You said, examining your nails. "Come to think of it, you've been hangin' around here quite a bit. Maybe my café intrigues you?" Casually, you lean forward, stretching your waist before straightening yourself again. The pendant that you always wore was now visible.

"This pathetic excuse for a coffee shop is _yours_?" The man didn't sound impressed. He sounded a little disgusted, to say the least. "A business owned by a woman like you? Give me a break!" He laughed. You continued to stare at him, uninterested.

"If that's all you have to say, then please leave. I believe my nightshades will wilt if they're not given the care I give them." You heaved a heavy sigh. "You're a waste of my time and I'm sure one of my chefs can kill you in less than two seconds in five different ways. Look at the way you carry yourself," you frowned as you inspected the man more closely. "I can't believe you're part of the same organization that trains up some of the best assassins in the world. Pitiful."

The man turned pale, mumbled some excuse and wandered off, just as Makoto was turning round the corner. "They didn't have any nightshades," he said, watching the man lumber off. "What did you do?"

"Nothing to harm him," you said. "He won't be bothering me anymore, though."

Makoto was about to say something else when he noticed the pendant on your neck. It was a simple silver chain, with a teardrop-shaped gem in the middle. Under the setting sun, the gemstone turned various shades of purple. "When did you get this?" He asked, mesmerized, maybe slightly suspiciously.

"Oh, this?" You laughed. "I found it in a pawn shop. It's so pretty! So I bought it." You held it up for closer inspection. Dark flecks were embedded inside the gem. "I like to think that these spots are the souls of the people I've insulted." You laughed again. Makoto cracked a smile and you latched onto his arm again. You could feel that he still felt suspicions towards the pendant, but was letting it slide for now.

"Let's go back now."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **So the reason why this was absurdly late is because I was planning on writing a full lemon in this chapter but I got stuck. Multiple times. Which is why I cancelled it~ So yeah here you go enjoy I was half asleep typing this. Still am. 3**

It hadn't been a really eventful afternoon, so when you both got back to the hotel you weren't really tired. You had been on the lookout for any pretty flowers you could buy while you guys went back, though. Nothing seemed appealing to you, and the roses Makoto had got you were enough anyway.

It was dark by the time you get back to the hotel. There were a few men in suits looking all serious in stuff - and wearing sunglasses at _night_ \- that whipped out their radios as soon as they saw you. Ignoring them, you tugged Makoto along until you were safely in your room.

"Penny for your thoughts," as you switched on the light and breathed in the familiar hotel smell.

"I feel weird," Makoto admitted. "All those guys had been stationed out looking for us and they were recalling a search party, probably."

You purred. "Not used to all the attention?" Your eyes glinted evilly.

Makoto blushed. "N-no, it's not like that," he put his hands up defensively, then hesitated for a moment, as if he was surprised as to why he did that. He scratched his head and shot you a smile. "I get all the attention I need from you."

"And your boss," you added. "And your colleagues. And everyone under you."

"Oh you know what I mean!" Makoto laughed and ruffled your hair playfully. Then his demeanor changed and he became… You couldn't describe it. It's like some sort of neutral but also evil. Neutral evil.

"You're hiding something!" you declared. "Is this the same thing you're hiding yesterday?" you inquired, suspicious. It wasn't like your Makoto to hide something from you. Usually he was an open book and you liked knowing everything about him. Not that you were controlling or suspicious, you just found him and his life extremely interesting, and it also helped you determine what kind of attention he needed.

Makoto averted his eyes from yours. "Maybe?" He said sneakily after a few moments of reluctance.

 _Interesting… What's he thinking?_ you thought to yourself.

"Fifty bucks for your honest thoughts," you smiled sweetly. You liked seeing this sweet and shy side of him. His tough and work style was nice too but right now this was what you wanted to see.

Makoto stared at you. "No." He said firmly, crossing his arms, though there was a slight redness creeping up his neck.

"Fifty dollars not good enough for you?" you pouted, retreating into yourself for a moment to get Makoto to let down his guard. You scuttled around the room, shying away from his outstretched arms and attempts at apologizing. You didn't want him to get hurt when you tackled him. Once you were in position, you peeked at his concerned face and launched yourself at him with maximum momentum carried him off his feet and you landed him right on the bed.

You threw your arm around his neck and when he had gotten his bearings back you were already sitting on his chest, pinning him down by the neck with a murderous glint in your eyes. It was only after seeing Makoto being genuinely frightened did you back off on your actions. You released his neck and instead leaned down to give him a kiss, scooting backwards so you were sitting on his stomach. "Sorry if I scared you," you murmured into his ear, then moved back to assaulting his face.

Because of the difference in height you couldn't quite reach his crotch without removing yourself from his face. "You're too tall," you whined as you snaked your hands under his shirt, feeling his stomach and trailing up to his chest, lifting his shirt along the way.

"Sorry," Makoto mumbled, not sounding sorry at all - you could hear the smirk on his face. He took off his shirt, opting to place it neatly to a side while you took yours off and let it drop to the floor.

"Beautiful," you could never break your habit of pausing to admire what was yours. You sighed internally. Every day while he was at work he was risking his life for the country. Every day could be his last. You never know how much time you have.

"That was my line," Makoto's huff shook you out of your dreams and had you focused back on the task at hand.

"Shut up, you don't have a line," you shushed and worked at his pants. Seriously, a casual day and he still wears a belt! What kind of shithead is he? You wouldn't have minded something easier, like sweatpants.

After refusing to let Makoto handle it for you multiple times, you quickly dropped what remaining clothing the both of you had. Your helpless boyfriend squirmed under you. As if you'd let go of your control so easily.

He stopped after a while, so you stared down at him, and blinked. He had a mask on so you couldn't read him as easily. He could be so calm and indifferent sometimes you forgot all that fierceness that could be lurking underneath.

"What's with the sullen face?" you teased, scooting further back so his erection was just lightly brushing against the back of your waist.

"Nothing," Makoto adopted a look of innocence. "What makes you think I'm sullen?" He failed to keep a straight face and ended up cracking a smile in the end, which made you laugh.

"Enough small talk," you decided.

You didn't know how much time passed. It was just Makoto and you, in your own little world. You had vague memories of someone knocking on the door, but you guessed whoever it was left quickly. Neither of you were being particularly quiet.

Both of you were exhausted after the session. Makoto pulled the blankets to cover up your naked bodies, still entangled together, while you stretched and flicked off the lights. You screwed your eyes shut immediately and inhaled deeply, pulling your boyfriend closer to you.

"Penny for your thoughts," Makoto said in a soft voice, his hands running through your hair.

"Never leave me," you whispered, trailing your hands all over his body, memorizing every single detail of it. "How about you?"

Makoto had paused in his actions, so you opened your eyes. The sudden transition from darkness to darkness was a bit disorienting, so you blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the dim light. "Makoto?"

"Ah, I just got distracted by the smoke alarm, sorry," he laughed softly, then ran his fingers through your hair. "Go to sleep, (Name)."

"I can stay up as late as I want."

"Okay." Makoto smiled and rolled over. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

You laughed and scooted closer, wrapping your arms around his midsection. "Goodnight."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **I'm not even on a regular updating schedule now... I've completely abandoned that *thumbs up***

After the rough night (and a good bit of the next day), both of you were exhausted, but not in a bad way. You would gladly be exhausted every day if it meant seeing your dear Makoto.

But alas, good times cannot last, and the three days of Makoto's freedom were up. Before you checked out of the hotel, though, he presented to you a piece of news.

"I'm getting a promotion!" he blurted excitedly, reminding you of a small child.

Your eyes widened at the news. " _Another_ promotion?" you repeated, not believing it. You didn't even know there was a higher position than what Makoto was doing now.

"I now oversee _all_ the investigators of the department of security," he puffed up, like a proud cat who had just caught its first mouse.

You stared at him, mouth slightly opened.

"Also…" It seemed like he wasn't done with his news yet. "I get more time off next week!" He bounced, energized. He didn't look like someone who had power over more than three dozen high-ranked investigators within the government. "The whole week!"

"The whole week?!" you hated that you were reduced to someone who only echoed what other people said, but you honestly could not think of anything else to say. This was great news, of course, but your mind was having trouble wrapping itself around the enormous possibilities this could bring.

Half a minute passed by without either of you saying anything. Makoto was looking at you, his eyes sparkling, and you were staring back, trying to comprehend what he had just said. Finally, you flung yourself at him and wrapped him in a hug, trying to convey all your emotions that way. Makoto snaked his arms around your waist and held you tight, picking you up and spinning around excitedly. When you were released, you felt breathless.

"This is the best news I've received since you told me you had three days off!" you said softly, your heart beating so quickly it was about to burst. All the opportunities!

After another minute of celebration you walked out of the hotel, surrounded by a few bodyguards, as usual. "I'll see you next week!" Makoto turned to you and gave you a peck on the cheek.

"Give me a fucking _proper_ kiss, you asshole!" you laughed and tugged him in for another go. The bodyguards seemed slightly uncomfortable with the public display of affection, which just spurred you on further.

"Bye," you waved as Makoto headed down to where the car that was picking him up was. You didn't live that far away - only a five-minute walk from the hotel - so you turned to walk down the street, humming a little tune to yourself.

You were in trousers and a T-shirt with a high neckline. You didn't feel like hiding your pendant right now, though, and gripped the purple stone tightly with one hand, running your fingers over the smooth surface while your mind wandered. You had walked this street so many times you didn't have to think about it when you moved. Every crack in the sidewalk was as familiar as the layout of your house.

In your mind, you were smoothing out the details for Makoto's leave for the week. You would have to take leave from work, and of course you would also have to get the message across that you wouldn't be attending the weekly meetings of this society you were part of, Nightshade. You loved the society. It was a third home to you - second to Makoto's arms, of course. Thinking of your boyfriend made you sigh happily again, lost in your fog of thoughts.

This made you less alert than usual, which was a bad thing.

You were so focused on organizing things in your head that you didn't notice the shadows detaching themselves from the alley right across the street from you. If you had seen them, you'd have noticed that the way in which their held themselves was flawless, and they had a formation that provided the optimal defense level. You would've immediately classified them as professional killers or something similar, if you had noticed.

But you didn't see them. Until it was too late, of course. You felt something - or someone - creeping up behind you, and you spun around quickly. All you saw was a flash of a gloved hand before you felt a cloth press up against your face. You didn't recognize the chemical - perhaps it was ether? - before you felt the effects. You vaguely felt unfamiliar arms and hands moving you into somewhere dark - and then you were moving much faster.

A small part of your brain registered all this while the rest was just going crazy. The small rational part knew that you wouldn't be in this condition forever, and as soon as that thought had managed to diffuse through your brain you immediately felt the effects of whatever that was clearing up. It was then you realized you were curled up on the back of a moving vehicle, so you sat up.

And failed. Miserably. You knocked your head on something hard above you and promptly fell back to your original, fetus-like position. It seemed like this place where you were being kept in was tiny - it was all you could do to crouch slightly in the cramped space, and that strained your legs after a while. You were blindfolded too, and your wrists and ankles were bound together. The knots were tight. Where were you going? To your delight you didn't have a gag in your mouth, so you tried to emit sounds.

And failed. Miserably. Whatever chemical was on that cloth, it had dehydrated you severely. Or maybe that had just been the time passing. All you managed was a soft croaking, which was pathetic. You've never felt so helpless before, but a bright thought entered your head - if your kidnappers had gone to such lengths to ensure you couldn't do anything, it must mean they recognize your strength and ability, and they fear it.

Oh you couldn't wait to get out of these bonds and wreck havoc on the poor sods who had gotten their hands on you.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

In the total darkness of wherever you were confined in, it was impossible to judge how much time had passed. Your back was starting to ache and you wanted to stretch your legs badly. You supposed you were in the trunk of someone's car, most probably a box.

You were proud to say you stayed awake the whole process. At least, you _think_ you stayed awake, with the total darkness and all. Whoever made this box probably made it specifically for kidnapping.

After an eternity you heard commotion outside. The box jolted, and you felt it being lifted. To carry you off somewhere, like shipping cargo, you supposed. It shouldn't be long until someone tried to open the box. Your hands were behind you, so the blindfold couldn't be helped, but you were confident in your abilities to maybe knock one or two people out by flailing wildly and randomly.

Whoever was handling the box was not gentle in the least. Either they didn't know you were in here, or they did know. One of your hands was squashed between the side of the box and your back and was slowly becoming numb. Your leg was bent at an awkward angle, and it took a lot of shuffling to get back into a comfortable position.

The movement stopped and you could finally relax yourself while trying to find your pinned hand. Your thoughts automatically shifted to Makoto. _Shit, is he alright?_ You hoped so.

You wriggled around, desperately needing to stretch out your legs and back. You felt solidness underneath the box again, meaning whoever had been carrying you had put you down. When you fell silent, you could hear muffled voices near you.

There was a swift ripping sound and you felt air rush in from above you. Finally, someone had opened the box! Before you could even move, though, someone's hands were pressing down on you.

You heard a scraping sound, and concluded it was probably a metal chair. You've scraped a few metal chairs in your lifetime, and wasn't entirely a stranger to it. The hands lifted you out of the box - not a small feat - and sat you on the aforementioned chair. Instinctively, you stretched your back and felt it knock against the panel of the chair. Ropes snaked across your chest, effectively binding you to it.

Your legs were bound to the legs of the chair, and the bindings on your wrists and ankles were cut. Your throat was still dry though, and some water would be good.

You felt the cloth around your eyes loosen, and quickly shook it off. It didn't take long for your eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, and you quickly took in what information you could. You were in a room - obviously - with a single door guarded by two buff men. You let your brain register that they looked familiar before quickly turning your attention to other things. There was a single light in the room, which provided a faint white glow, and the walls had dark stains on them. Not blood, these stains were lighter in color. Perhaps some clear liquid, like water.

There was a shuffling coming from behind you, and you stiffened. There was a third person in this room. It would probably be safe to assume there would be a fourth one as well. You turned your head to where you'd heard the sound and found your neck stiff from the awkward position in the box. It took a few tries but you finally got the angle you wanted.

Behind you was a long table. On it was the cardboard box used to transport you. It was pretty tiny - like a box made to carry fruit instead of a human. There was a figure next to the table. He was carrying a cup. You hoped it was for you, and that it was water and not sulfuric acid.

The man came around in front of you, and you studied him more closely. He was wearing a black hoodie, and a black facemask. His eyes were shaded by his hood and he wore black gloves as well. Actually everything about him was black. Come to think of it, the guards were all dressed in black as well. What was this, some kind of darkness-worshipping cult?

But then again you supposed they _did_ blend pretty well into the shadows.

The cup of liquid was thrust in front of your face and you flinched back instinctively. The hooded man let out an audible sigh and produced a separate cup, poured some of the clear liquid from the first cup into it and took a sip. You supposed they did this often enough to know what needed to be done.

Reluctantly, you let the man trickle water down your throat. It wasn't even stale, like you'd expected. It was actually cool and refreshing, like it'd been directly pumped from a running river… quite the unexpected surprise in this stale, boring room.

Even though you were confident in your ability to make coherent speech, you didn't speak. You wanted them to speak first, and allow time for you to form your response as well as further analyze what this whole situation is.

The man in front of you turned to face the two guards, who nodded and left the room, probably to stand outside to make sure no one got in rather than you didn't get out. If only you could get your hands free… Should be easy enough, it wasn't like anyone was going to keep an eye on your back.

You were extremely curious as to know what this cult was. Or maybe you were underestimating them. Maybe they were part of some huge secret organization that no one could know about.

"We're part of a secret organization that no one should know about," the hooded man in front of you mumbled softly, so you could barely hear it. "Yet here you are."

"Sorry what?" you blinked. Your voice was only slightly raspy and after a few coughs it cleared right up. Whatever was in that liquid could've contained a substance to sooth your throat.

The man pulled down his facemask and gave you a small smile. You couldn't tell if that was meant to be genuine or not but you weren't prepared to take any chances. "What I'm saying is, you shouldn't be here." He looked vaguely familiar, but you just couldn't put your finger on it. You were sure you'd seen him somewhere before.

He gave you a wink before retreating to where the door was, taking the place as a guard and crossing his arms. His comment had baffled you enough that you did not hear the fourth person that was behind you. They strode forward and you noticed he had the same garb as the figure by the door. What was up with all this secrecy?

"You might be wondering what's up with all this secrecy," the figure said, his voice muffled by the facemask. You wanted to kick something. Were you really that predictable? The figure continued talking in the same soft voice. "Well, it's because this is all supposed to be hush-hush, but for some reason the boss wanted you to be brought in."

There was a pause. Perhaps it was a signal for you to speak. Or more likely it was for the person speaking to take a breather. You took the chance to speak anyway. "What are we doing?"

The person in front of you checked his watch. It was black, and seemed to be adapted for some other purposes other than to tell the time and date. "Well," he started to explain. "Just waiting for the people responsible for you to show up. They volunteered to _babysit_ you," he put special emphasis on _babysit_ , his voice raising slightly into a sneer, "and now they're fucking late!"

You stared at him while he paced back and forth in front of you. It was silent for a few minutes, with only the _tap tap tap_ of his shoes on the floor.

"Put your facemask back on!" he snapped at the person by the door, startling both you and the guard. "The boss is gonna give me hell again if he finds you not in proper dress attire in the presence of a guest." At the last word he turned to face you, and for the first time seemed to study you more closely. "What's so special about this girl anyway?" he said, sounding pissed. He was about to speak more but then the door swung open with a loud bang.

You turned to glance at the newcomers, also taking note that the guard had slipped out. A rather wise move, you'd say, and not only because these two looked more well-built than the others. There was a curious glint in the slightly shorter one's eyes that implied he had heard the outburst of the figure who had been waiting for them.

"This girl holds a special spot in the heart of our dear investigator," the one with the gleam in his eyes said. His voice was subtly laced with a threat. "Get out and make yourself useful for once."

The person grumbled quietly but slipped out. The taller guy - you assumed he didn't speak much - went to take the position as the guard, which left the one who had spoken in front of you.

His eyes were shadowed by the hood now that he was directly in front of you, but this man gave you a familiar vibe. Who were all of these people? Why did you feel like you should know them…?

It seemed like he was waiting for you to speak first. For once, you'd indulge in the wants of the opposition. "Alright, I give. Tell me." You leaned back in the chair, wanting to seem as nonchalant as you can. "Who are you, what's this place, what we're doing here." They were statements rather than questions. You didn't want to give them too much of a satisfaction.

"We've met before. I'm surprised you didn't recognize me. Have I changed that much?" He pulled down his facemask and you watched the person's lips and they parted to reveal sharp, shark-like teeth. Your mind made the connection immediately, and in the same instant the figure threw back his hood to unveil his maroon hair and red eyes.

You thought you hid the shock on your face rather well. "Long time no see, Rin."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Kind of a short chapter, but I was running on fumes. Sorry...**

"Who's your partner over there?" you asked, indicating the person who was still standing beside the door. He seemed to melt further into the shadows when your attention turned on him.

"You'll know soon enough," Rin waved his hand as walked behind you and pulled up another chair, setting it in front of you. "For now, though, let's talk about you."

"Let's not," you said immediately. "I'm more interested about this place. This secret organization. I suppose you'll have to kill me or something since it's so secret that nobody knows about it."

Rin sighed heavily and leaned his head onto a hand. "Did they say that again? Don't listen to them, they're impossible. This isn't really a secret at all. You've heard of the government, I suppose?"

You nodded slowly, not believing that this organization had anything to do with the government. You probably would've heard some rumor of people dressed in black garb and hiding in alleys if they had any connection with the government. Some kind of word always gets out.

"Are you, in fact, aware of how poorly they're running the country?" the man continued. Well, this took a rather unexpected turn. He didn't wait for your reply this time, and kept steaming on. "There are certain… _people_ … people with high status and powerful connections, that are… _unsatisfied,_ let's say, with how the government runs things." He gave a short bark that you assumed was a laugh. "That's an understatement," he winked at you before continuing. "So they banded together to fund this organization."

"That doesn't really answer my question, but thanks for the brief history lesson," you said.

Rin sighed. "You haven't really changed much."

"Did you even know I existed?" you shot back, slightly annoyed that he had implied that he actually knew you. From what you remembered, all you did was show up at the swimming competitions a few times because your friend had forced you to skip school and drag you there. Of course, you didn't complain much now since that was how you met Makoto and the others.

The man shrugged. "Of course. With you all over Haru's bestie it'd be hard not to." A smile crept onto his face. "Still a sassy bitch."

It was your turn to shrug. "Can't help it when I'm surrounded by assholes. Now are you going to answer my question or not?"

Rin thought for a moment. "You didn't actually ask a question to begin with, but I'll be nice this time and ignore that."

You were starting to give in to the urge to strangle this guy, and you didn't care if he was Makoto's friend or not. Speaking of him…

"Don't you have a phone or anything? Makoto's been worried sick about you."

Rin snorted. "'Course I have a phone. What do you think I am, stupid?" To illustrate his point he whipped out a flashy new model from his pocket. "I just never pick up. Why would I want to associate myself with the enemy? That's a foolproof way to get yourself fired."

"And why do you hate the government so much?" you asked, trying to think of some worthy questions.

"That's classified."

"Where are we?"

"Classified as well."

"Who runs the place?"

"Aren't there any questions you can think of which doesn't involve any classified information?" Rin asked, exasperated.

You rolled your eyes. This Rin character really wasn't trying to put himself into your good books. "Why am I here?" you asked after thinking for a while.

"Jesus Christ," you heard him mutter as he put his head into his hands and held that position for a while.

You sighed internally. "What else am I supposed to do? You're basically forcing me to ask you shit questions here!"

"Let's talk about you." Rin said, lifting his head to stare at you. "That was my original intention, before you so rudely interrupted me."

"I still prefer not to," you sighed and relaxed against the chair. "What do you wanna know? My date of birth?"

From out of nowhere Rin whipped out several sheets of paper. "I have that already." He scanned the information, which you assumed was about you.

There followed a tense moment of silence where you strained to see what was printed on the paper. The organization seemed to have been thorough with the investigation. You could only imagine this organization as one that's similar to the government, but on the dark side. There would've been top-notch investigators going about trying to find as much about their targets as they can. Which in this case, was you.

"Let's start off with… when did you become a thing with our dear investigator Makoto? I don't seem to have that information in here." He directed his attention towards you, and for some reason you felt insecure.

"What kind of interrogation is this?" you asked, your memory involuntarily flicking back to when you'd met Makoto personally. It was in the hotel you'd stayed in just a few hours before. His swimming club was staying there for a competition a few years back, and you'd been there on a trip with your friends.

"An interesting one," Rin grinned, pulling you back from your past. "Now, do tell. When was this?"

"Why should I give it to you?" you asked.

"Because I'm genuinely curious and I don't want to hurt you."

"Scared to hurt a girl? How gentlemanly of you. It's a wonder you don't have a girlfriend yet."

Rin stiffened at the mention of a personal relationship. "Yeah, what a wonder," he said, though you could tell it took some effort to maintain some sort of casualness. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I may not want to hurt you, but my friend probably wouldn't hesitate." He glanced to his right, where the other figure was standing there, guarding the exit.

You followed his example and stared right at the door. The figure wasn't there. You guessed that apart from dressing in depressing colors they also moved silently. You couldn't help but compare them with death. Perhaps they did murder people.

Too late, you heard shuffling to your right and quickly snapped your attention over there. It was the figure in black who had been standing by the door. The last thing you saw before you got decked was Rin's shark-toothed smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

You woke. It was a rather surprising experience, since you hadn't really expected to wake on an actual bed. If you hadn't known better you'd have thought you were still with Makoto.

Ah, those were the good days.

You rolled over and slowly opened your eyes. The room was dim, and the light was a soft golden yellow. You turned. The curtains were drawn, and you couldn't see a clock anywhere, so you didn't know what time it was. At first glance the room seemed like one from a hotel - table, bed, some chairs, a few doors, probably leading to the bathroom.

 _Probably another interrogation method to get some more absurd details,_ you thought to yourself, sitting up and immediately feeling dizzy. You put a hand to your head, relieved there wasn't any swelling or major bruising. _Next, he'll be asking about my love life._

Before you could explore the room further - seriously, it looked nothing like an underground dungeon - someone knocked on the door. You turned, surprised. There was an actual main door. You'd thought you'd get less privacy than this.

You went over and opened it. It was the person who'd knocked you out… how long ago had that been? He stepped in without a word and you didn't complain. It wasn't in your place to say anything anyway.

He casually shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the chair. Then he sat on the aforementioned chair and stared intently at you. You crossed your arms self-consciously and went to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling his gaze bore into you as you moved.

"What?" you snapped when you couldn't take it anymore. "What's your problem?"

He shrugged, glancing away for a single moment before leaning back in his chair, still observing you. You, on the other hand, were trying to remember his name. It was just out of reach, but you most definitely knew him. _Yakahami…? Uh… Yahakazi? Yamakazi…?_

"Yamazaki Sousuke," the man said, as if he'd read your thoughts.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "I knew that. I'm asking, _what's your problem?_ "

Yamazaki shrugged. Again. You've found that quite annoying, and he'd only done it twice. "I've been assigned to keep an eye on you during your stay."

You screamed, but used your inside voice. Outside you were forcing a small smile which you were 100% sure was more of a sneer. "My stay at…?"

"Here." Right, you forgot. Yamazaki was the vaguest person you've ever met. You did understand that he adopted a different attitude while with other people - cough Rin cough - but you two just did not have that connection.

You sighed and laid flat on the bed. Was it wrong to like the feel of the mattress? You wondered where they got it from. You could use something like this back home. "So what can I do? When do I get out?"

"For someone who's been abducted and imprisoned, you sure are taking this calmly," Yamazaki ignored you and made his own comment. You made a small noise of irritation. You raised your arms above your head, which at first glance seemed like you were stretching, but you were actually making sure you still had your pendant. It was your life.

"Don't ignore me," you groaned, sitting back up again and glaring at the man who hadn't moved from his seat. "What can I do and when do I leave?"

"You can do anything as long as it's within this room." Yamazaki said. "You leave when the bosses get what they want."

"And what do they want?"

"This feels more like your interrogation," he yawned. He stopped talking to you after that, instead getting his phone out and started texting someone. You gathered that that was classified information, and you needed that information to get out. So the only thing you could do was declassify it, either with your wits or by force.

You weren't particularly keen on using force and you couldn't be bothered to use your wits so you just flopped back onto the bed. Yamazaki was probably the one who was going to supervise you. You couldn't do any snooping around while someone was watching over you. You supposed you'd just have to wait until he went to the bathroom or something. "What can I do for entertainment?"

When you didn't get a reply you sat up, alarmed. Did he leave you? No, he was just sitting there, and was he thinking? "Hello?" you asked, irritated.

"I think there will be board games," Yamazaki frowned. "I'm not a big fan of board games." He supplied, quite unnecessarily. "I have a deck of cards, if you want." Out of nowhere he produced a pack of cards, and handed it to you.

Upon closer inspection you found that the cards were actually clingwrap rolled up very tightly and superglued together. "What's the meaning of this?" you said incredulously. It wasn't any different than an actual card, only the material was different. "Are you guys broke or some shit? Can't you afford any real cards?"

"Excuse you, those work just fine," Yamazaki said, standing up and coming over to the bed. You scooted a few inches back and he sat down at the edge, taking the deck from you and shuffling the cards. "Also, we don't want to supply you with anything that might hurt someone, do we?" he flashed you a smile and you were tempted to wipe it off his face with a punch.

He started to distribute the cards. "What are we playing?"

"I don't know!" you threw your arms into the air. "I don't know how to play card games!"

"Well, we have plenty of time, so I'll teach you," Yamazaki said calmly. "One of the games need a few more people, so you're going to have to wait while I call some friends up."

"Teach me the two-player games first," you said hurriedly. You didn't want more people up here. One is quite enough for the time being.

"Alright then."

 **~Timeskip because I'm so stuck~**

After you had exhausted Yamazaki's knowledge of two-player card games, he showed you how to play Solitaire, which was the one you liked the most because you didn't have to stare at him all the time.

"Someone will be up to see you in fifteen minutes," Yamazaki told you, before getting up to go to the bathroom. You made sure you heard the lock slide in place before abandoning your game and starting to explore the place.

It wasn't that big, so there wasn't much to explore. You poked around the drawers on the table, finding nothing more than neat piles of stationery that had been carefully modified as to be as blunt as possible.

There was a closet, and you opened it to find nothing. Were you supposed to wear your current set of clothes until the end of time? You made a note to ask someone about that sometime.

There was no mirror. Even if there was, you wouldn't have risked the bad luck of breaking it to obtain a silly little shard.

You went over to the curtains, pulling it back to reveal a large window. It had been painted black from the outside. You pressed a hand to the glass. It was cool to the touch. Most likely this room you were in was not underground, and probably high up since you couldn't hear any traffic.

Either that or you were still underground, but within a clever illusion. You were isolated either way, and had to somehow get help.

Raising your head, you scanned the ceiling for any security camera. There were a few, focusing on the door, bathroom door and window as well as one on the bed. Talk about stalking. After a few calculations you found quite a bit of blind spots around the room where no one could see, but that was probably why Yamazaki was here. Anyhow, even if you did manage to gain an upper hand over him in a fight, whoever was watching the cameras would send reinforcements immediately.

You pulled the curtains back over the window and returned to your card game just as the bathroom door unlocked and the man stepped out again. You noticed that he glanced around before landing his gaze on you. Checking for threats, perhaps? Or was he seeing if you had left your position? Maybe he had expected you to explore.

"How's the game going?" He walked to the edge of the bed and looked over your shoulder.

You shrugged. "S'okay, I suppose."

Someone knocked on the door, and Yamazaki went to see who it was. Your hand automatically flew to your neck, and you were relieved to find that you still had your purple pendant. _Can't believe I hadn't thought to check on it before._

The pendant itself wasn't important. What's important was what it represented.

You heard some mumbling at the door and spun around to see who had arrived, tucking the pendant back into your shirt expertly. "You again?" you sighed, rolling your eyes at Rin.

"Just can't seem to keep away," he said with a laugh and sat on the edge of the bed, disturbing the cards and irritating you in general. You liked his questions even less.

"What now?"

"A few questions," Rin produced a clipboard out of nowhere and also a crayon. You had to resist the urge to make a snide remark about that.

You leaned against the wall, hoping this wouldn't take long.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **I basically wrote this after drinking a large Costa latte. I'm high on caffeine, guys, and I can't sleep. It's two in the morning.**

Rin never bothered you again after that visit. Well, probably not _never_ , but you had a hard time telling what time it was with Yamazaki being so keen on drawing the curtains.

You had mastered the art of solitaire, but rarely ever played it any more because of the arrival of the board games. The competitiveness of Monopoly was just what you needed to take the edge off your boredom. It's a bonus to see Yamazaki's face as he loses _yet again._

"If I win this round, you have to do whatever I want,Yamazaki," you said smugly as you rolled the die again.

"Nothing that involves your freedom," Yamazaki sighed as he landed on one of your properties. "Also, no loopholes, because I _will_ know." He gave you a glare that sent chills down your spine.

"Are those conditions?" you teased. "C'mon, Yamazaki, don't be a party pooper."

"For the last time, call me Sousuke. We're living together."

"Isn't that the wrong level of intimacy between an abductor and abductee?" you asked light-heartedly as you held out your hand for the cash. If he lands on another one of your properties he's gonna lose, so you'd better seal the deal quick.

"Is that even a word?" He still had his usual emotionless mask on, but was that a trace of frustration you heard in his voice?

You laughed as he landed on your utility slot. "My dear _Sousuke_ ," you put special emphasis on the name. "I believe you just lost your sixteenth game of Monopoly."

Yamazaki leaned away from the board with a huge sigh and put his head in his hand. "State your terms, (Name)." It seemed like he was just as bored as you were, stuck in this room for days on end.

You pondered for a moment. "Can I step foot outside of the building?"

"No."

Well, it was worth asking. "Can I step out of the room and explore the building?"

"As long as you're blindfolded," Yamazaki offered immediately.

You glared at him. "How's that exploring? Also, can I request a plant for the room? It's awfully dull in here."

"Whatever." Yamazaki sighed and stood up, whipping his phone out to send some texts, probably to make arrangements to accommodate your requests. "Anything else, Your Highness?" He drawled. At least he was using sarcasm, and thus showing _some_ sort of emotion towards you.

"I want your phone for five minutes, unlocked."

Yamazaki did a double take. "Say what now? No."

"Why not?" you said, standing up to make yourself more intimidating. It didn't really work because of the height difference. "It's not about my freedom. I'm just genuinely curious."

"About secrets of the organization, yeah, I get that," Yamazaki shot back. "No." He turned back to his screen and you wondered how hard you'd have to hit him in order to knock him out. Instinctively, you sized him up, and he must've seen what you were doing because he adopted a defensive stance.

"Oh, you wanna go, asshole?" you crouched in an attacking stance, preparing to launch yourself at him like how you did to Makoto just a mere few days before. Remembering this made you pause to think whether or not doing this would get you killed. You had to stay safe for Makoto. He's going to be so worried about you.

You only had a brief moment of hesitation, but didn't get the chance to initiate a fight with the man denying you his phone because the door burst open, and half a dozen men rushed in. They were all wearing black - no big surprise there - and had pistols aimed at you.

"Hello, gentlemen," you said calmly. Yamazaki never recovered his usual position and was still putting up his arms in an attempt to ward off any future attacks. "What brings you here?" You relaxed, but no one else did, which irritated you. Didn't they know pointing firearms at an unarmed person is considered rude?

"Put the fucking pistols down, dammit!" You yelled, and to your delight you swore a few of them nearly squeezed the trigger. Did you really terrify them that much? How are you going to take down seven people at once without getting shot anyway?

"Dicks." You sat down on the bed, whipping out the cards and dealing out a solitaire game. "Leave me alone."

Finally the men lowered their guns, but remained in the room anyway. You glared at Yamazaki. You seemed to do a lot of glaring lately, and it was really straining your eyes. "Make them leave, Yamazaki."

He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you wanted a tour." He produced a blindfold seemingly out of thin air. That was a technique you needed to learn - how to conjure shit out of nothing. Everyone seemed to know how to do that except you.

"And they are here because…?" You gestured to the men who were shifting uncomfortably. "Do you really need seven people to escort me around the building?"

"You were… classified as unpredictable." Someone said. The men had formed a semi-circle around you. It made you think of the bodyguard days you had with Makoto. _Oh God, I sound like I'm dying._ Which you most definitely weren't, because you knew how to take care of yourself.

"Unpredictable my ass. You guys probably know how to read my mind or some shit." You stood up, which made the six newcomers step back. "Yamazaki, tell them to fuck off."

"Can't do that, I'm not responsible for them." But judging by his tone, you could tell he'd _love_ to tell them to fuck off.

You sighed audibly, and stood up. "I'll be filing a complaint, just fucking watch me." Yamazaki came over to blindfold you, and you could just almost pretend there weren't six idiots following you.

After what seemed like an eternity, Yamazaki stopped leading you down hallways and corridors and took your blindfold. The darkness confused you. Why weren't you back in the room?

"Sit down, (name)," Yamazaki's voice echoed around the room weirdly. You immediately knew this was going to be a trick of some sort. Where were the six people? Probably hiding in the shadows. You crouched, ready to make a break for it… if you could locate the door.

"Sit down," he repeated, and you could make out the distinctive sound of a gun being loaded.

You glanced around for a fucking chair. "Do enlighten me on how to find a chair in total darkness."

Not a moment after you had said that, you heard a metal chair being dragged up. You shot out an arm to intercept whoever it was, but didn't hit anyone. Strange.

Feeling the pressure of more than one gun trained on you, you sat down, completely on edge. Your small triumph with the Monopoly game seemed to have been turned against you. Without warning, the lights came on, and ropes snaked across your chest, arms and legs, binding you to the chair once again.

You were in the same room you'd been in when you first arrived. Yamazaki was still by the door, and you expected Rin to show up at any moment. The six guys were standing in front of you, holding their guns where you could see them.

Rin came in a few minutes later, rolling a portable TV with him. "Oooh, is it movie night?" you infused as much fake enthusiasm as you could into your voice. "Are you trying to brainwash me?"

"Shut her up," Rin said in a tired voice. Yamazaki came over and stuffed a cloth down your throat just as you were about to object. Damn you should learn to control your mouth.

"Someone has requested an audience with you," Rin said, having his clipboard out again and was flipping through the pages. "I'm not sure how he managed to contact us, but the boss gave the green light so let's do this." He leaned over to turn on the TV, and you were expecting something more than static. Yamazaki came over to place a few gadgets around the TV, presumably a mic and a camera. What?

"Also, there's this script you're going to follow, or we'll shoot you in the leg or something." Rin seemed exceptionally tired today. Why? So many questions, not enough room in your mouth to form the words. He pointed to his clipboard, in which you could make out some words printed on there. They were ridiculous. No way were you going to say that.

You didn't have to, anyway, not with your mouth full of cloth.

After Yamazaki had tinkered with the contraption set a ways in front of you, you heard a familiar voice. "(Name)...? (Name)!" A man's outline gradually replaced the static on the TV.

You nearly knocked yourself over trying to scoot closer. It was Makoto! Makoto! You tried to assure him you were alright, but all you could do was make a few muffled sounds. You decided to give up on the scooting after balancing precariously on two legs of the chair, almost toppling over.

"You're alright? Thank God… I assumed the worst." Makoto looked ready to cry, but you could see underneath he had unlimited rage and fury. "Who did this?" Clearly he saw that you were bound and gagged, so this question was more to himself than you.

Rin cleared his throat and tapped his clipboard a few times. You glared at him, and made no promises. Meanwhile, Makoto was trying his best to triangulate your position and the track the transmission coming from the TV, but was probably having no luck.

One of the men detached themselves from the shadows to remove the gag. You gasped for air dramatically, managing to attract your boyfriend's attention without the need for words.

"Rin, Sousuke, how about you both stop being such big fat LIARS and come fucking join me!" you yelled loudly and clearly, emphasizing each word. You weren't sure if Makoto could receive sound, but you were certain he could read lips - and he should know how yours worked the best.

"Fucker," Rin growled at you, coming to stand beside you and glare at the TV. "Just when I was hoping I could get away with not joining this conference call. Hello, Makoto." He flashed the investigator his signature fake smile.

"So that's why I've been unable to reach you," Makoto said, his eyes lighting up in mock humor and sarcasm. "You've ran off to join a cult! And with Sousuke, too. No wonder no one's seen him at work for the past month."

Rin yawned. "I'm tired. I'll let your precious jewel here do the talking." His tone sounded almost apologetic as he placed the clipboard on your lap. You're guessing Makoto couldn't see that far down since he looked somewhat confused. You froze for a moment, realizing that Makoto meant that Sousuke had worked for the government before joining this… organization? So your sources hadn't been wrong in warning them to replace the government's circle. You did remember warning Makoto about spies… maybe you hadn't been specific enough. But then again, it would've been too late anyway.

Rin gestured impatiently to the script.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to read from this script here," you said, glancing at the piece of paper there. "It's, like, ransom statements or something. The basic kidnapping shit, y'know? Anyway," you managed to slide the board off your lap. Time to get some answers. "How long have I been gone for?"

"Nearly a week," Makoto frowned. "What do you mean, ransom?"

Off to the side, you could hear someone cock their gun. "Y'know, ransom, like money, lives, that kind of thing."

You felt something hard poke the back of your head. Glancing around, you found that Yamazaki had vanished. It was probably him who had settled himself behind you, while attaching the barrel of that gun to your head. From his angle, Makoto probably didn't see him. Your mind worked furiously. How could you get out of this? You were dimly aware of Makoto demanding what the ransom terms were. Like hell you were gonna give it to him. You knew from his face he would do anything to have you safe again, even if it didn't necessarily mean in his arms.

"You know what," you said, tearing your eyes away from the script to glare at Rin. "Fuck your script." You turned your attention to Makoto. "I don't need help. I'm fine."

Makoto looked like he doubted you. A lot. There were a few more clicks around the room. It wasn't like you hadn't been shot before. It wasn't _too_ too bad.

"You want me to prove it?" You said light-heartedly, the faintest trace of a smile playing on your lips. You dropped the tone of humor and smile immediately, switching to your most serious and darkest expression so Makoto would know you were not shitting him. "I'll fucking prove it." You hissed.

You could tell everyone had questions. You leaned forward, away from Yamazaki's gun and taking your chair with you, and jerked sideways so you had floored Rin.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Everything slowed down. Well, you knew it didn't _really_ , it was just that you went into hyperdrive mode to absorb all the details around you.

All your senses were of utmost importance. It didn't help with Makoto shouting in the background, and it was only when you heard the first _click_ of an unloaded gun did you pedal backwards at an alarming rate, knocking into Yamazaki and throwing him off balance. More clicks were then heard, and you bit your lips to prevent a grin breaking out. _Concentrate._

The jarring movements, along with a couple of your own antics, had loosened the rope enough for you to get out of the chair. You quickly melted into the shadows and positioned yourself behind the first three men in black, who were checking their magazines rather confusedly. Did they not expect to have empty guns? Yamazaki was probably the only one who had been entrusted with a loaded gun, and also the responsibility _not_ to shoot you dead.

A swift jab to the neck, and the first guy crumpled like paper. You caught the second guy in the side with a strong kick just as he was about to turn around, and he was disposed of with another jab to his spine. You swept the third one off his feet, crouching low to avoid being seen, and shoved him into the wall where he lay unmoving.

Quickly side-stepping behind the TV, you slowed your breathing to calm yourself and organize your next moves. Rin was rubbing his arm where the chair had landed on him, and Yamazaki was carefully picking himself off the floor. Neither seemed to have sustained any major injuries. They must've had quick reflexes to be able to recover so quickly, and you couldn't help a flash of admiration. Perhaps you could ask them for tips.

Sticking close to the shadows, you located the rest of the unarmed men and made short work of them. Makoto had shut up by now, and when you stepped back into the camera's field of view, he let out an audible sigh of relief.

"A Nightshade, huh?" Yamazaki groaned, helping Rin up. They looked much more threatening than they had been five minutes before. You took hold of the pendant that had poked out of your shirt and pressed it to your lips, giving the boys a sly glance.

"A _what_?" Rin asked, staring warily at the purple stone as you dropped it back against your neck. "Isn't that a type of flower?"

"Yeah, and an organization of female assassins," you provided, pride swelling up within you. "We train any girl who's willing to join us." It wasn't like it was a secret… it was just that no one really knew.

"I thought you were a myth," Rin had fully recovered now and had his usual smirk on again. "Do you really go around protecting the vulnerable?"

You sighed. "There's more to being an assassin than just killing." In a flash, Yamazaki had stepped up beside you in an attempt to engage in close combat. You sidestepped him elegantly and aimed for his spine with an outstretched arm, but he twisted away at the last second.

"No wonder you had your sources," you heard Makoto muse. "I wonder what else you've been keeping from me."

You spun around hurriedly, facing the screen, which depicted Makoto with a thoughtful look on his face. "I'll tell you when I get back," you promised, letting a slight edge of panic creep into your voice. Was he angry with you? You never kept secrets from each other, but since the topic never came up… you couldn't just tell your boyfriend that you were a top-class assassin, he would have a heart attack.

You hopped sideways as Rin charged into the fray. "Decided to join our little dance?" you smiled, and leapt back into action, dodging a series of blows from both boys. Why hasn't Yamazaki used his gun yet? Either he was afraid to injure his partner, or he was having difficulties with the gun. Then you spotted it lying on the ground, near the wall. It must've been sent flying when you knocked into Yamazaki.

He must've seen you see it, because Yamazaki's next execution of steps not only cut off your route to the gun, but also carried him closer. You jumped and kicked Rin in the face, using his body as a launchpad and tackled Yamazaki, looping an arm around his neck and bringing him down with the help of gravity. The landing would've bruised you, but you had Yamazaki as your cushioning.

Your focus on the gun was what caused your downfall. Evidently, you forgot that these men were capable of punishing even without loaded firearms. Just as you were wrestling the gun from Yamazaki's grip, you felt a presence rear up from behind you, smashing you against the ground. Your head knocked against the ground with a loud crack, but it didn't grant you the relief of unconsciousness. The sudden crash had you reeling with shock and for a moment you lay frozen.

"Oooh, that sounded bad," Rin tutted, yanking you up roughly so Yamazaki can get away from your limp body. The door burst open and more men came pouring in, probably attracted to all the noise the scuffle was making. You noticed they had guns raised, and were aiming them directly at you.

"Too late, boys," Yamazaki laughed. One man came up to them, but instead of a gun, he had a first-aid kit. How nice, they did treat their wounded. It was almost like a battlefield.

Laughter started to bubble up in your chest, but it quickly dissipated and was replaced with nausea. More men started to crowd around you, but you couldn't really do much with Rin basically sitting on you, observing. Someone remembered to turn off the TV and the silence was ringing through your ears.

"She's not a threat anymore," Rin remarked, giving your side a slight kick. Was it just you, or did his voice seem to hold more… respect? "At least, not now." Well, there was definitely a hint of spite in there.

As the men slowly filed out of the room, the medic came over to examine you. How nice, they treat their prisoners, too. The medic was smiling as he looked over your injuries, and it was then that you realized it was actually a girl. "What I don't get is how one woman managed to injure eight men?" she asked as she disinfected a few lightly scratched areas.

Yamazaki let out a sigh. "She's a trained assassin."

The medic rolled her eyes. "So are you guys! Sometimes I do wonder." She bent over to take a closer look at your head, which had been bleeding but had clotted now. As she bent over, you caught a glimpse of a metal chain around her neck. Following the line, you traced it down to her cleavage. Under normal circumstances, it would've been slightly awkward staring at another woman's breasts, but with the medic practically shoving it in your face you had no choice but to wonder what it was resting in the gap.

A purple pendant.

You weren't alone.

The medic finished bandaging your head and packed her stuff. "That was fucking weird," you said out loud, having found your voice again. She laughed and waved, before exiting the room.


End file.
